Erigeron pulchellus
According to sources, a North American perennial herb in the Asteraceae family that spreads by rhizomes, bears 1–9 flower heads per stem with white to pale purple ray florets surrounding yellow disc florets, and grows in forests, roadsides, and near bodies of water from Québec and Ontario south to Texas and the Florida Panhandle.
Common Names
Robin's Plantain, Fleabane, Blue Spring Daisy, Hairy Fleabane, Poor Robin's Plantain
Summary
Robin’s plantain (Erigeron pulchellus) is a biennial or short‑lived perennial wildflower native to the eastern and central United States. It forms a basal clump with flowering stalks 12–24 inches tall and bears daisy‑like heads with 50–100 white to pale violet ray florets surrounding a yellow disk. The plant spreads by a crown of fibrous roots and sometimes rhizomes or stolons, often forming small colonies, and blooms from April to June.
It tolerates a range of well‑drained soils from clay‑loam to sandy and grows best in full sun to partial shade with average to dry moisture. It is drought tolerant and low maintenance, suitable as ground cover or for naturalizing in cottage or native plant gardens, meadows, slopes, or rock gardens, and is highly attractive to bees and butterflies; it can be propagated by seed, division, or cuttings, with division particularly effective, and can aid erosion control and weed suppression.
Lifecycle
Perennial
Height
18-24 inches
Spread
18-24 inches
Hardiness Zones
Zones 3-8
Sunlight Requirements
Ideally full sun to partial shade.
Soil Type
Well-drained soil
Soil Drainage
Well-drained soil
Soil pH
5.5-7.5, Slightly acidic to neutral soils
Bloom Color
White
Bloom Time
Spring to Summer
Foliage Color
Green
Fall Foliage Color
Green
Leaf Lifecycle
Other
Growth Rate
Slow
Seasons of Interest
Spring and Summer
Propagation Methods
Seeds, Division, Vegetative propagation via rhizomes or stolons
Attracts Wildlife
Attracts bees, butterflies, and other pollinators
Taxonomy
- Taxonomic Rank
- Species
- Author
- Michx.
- Publication
- Fl. Bor.-Amer. 2: 124 (1803)
Superior Taxa
- Kingdom
- Plantae
- Subkingdom
- Pteridobiotina
- Phylum
- Angiosperms
- Order
- Asterales
- Family
- Asteraceae
- Subfamily
- Asteroideae
- Tribe
- Astereae
- Subtribe
- Conyzinae
- Genus
- Erigeron
Inferior Taxa
Erigeron pulchellus var. tolsteadii Erigeron pulchellus var. pulchellus Erigeron acris subsp. kamtschaticus
Synonyms
Erigeron alpestris Erigeron glacialis Erigeron rupestris Erigeron pulchellus f. pulchellus Erigeron glaber Erigeron acris Erigeron alpinus Erigeron alpinus Erigeron unifloroides Diplopappus bellidioides Erigeron bellidifolius var. scariosus Erigeron pulchellus var. townsendii Erigeron bithynicus Erigeron monocephalus Erigeron leschenaultii Aster alwartensis Erigeron uniflorus subsp. typicus Erigeron pulchellus var. typicus Erigeron wightii Erigeron uniflorus Erigeron pycnotrichus Erigeron glabratus Erigeron apenninianus Erigeron pulchellus Erigeron grandiflorus Erigeron asteroides Erigeron funkii Erigeron uniflorus f. racemosa Erigeron alpinus var. wightii Erigeron frigidus Erigeron grandiflorus Erigeron patentisquama Fragmosa alpina Aster rupestris